Micromirror Apparatus and Methods

1. A digital micromirror device (DMD) having an array of micromirror pixels, each pixel comprising: a first electrode located on a first side of the pixel; a second electrode located on a second side of the pixel, wherein the second side is adjacent the first side; a first spring tip located between the first electrode and the second electrode; a second spring tip on an opposite side of the first electrode from the first spring tip; a third spring tip on an opposite side of the second electrode from the first spring tip; a cantilevered beam supporting a micromirror, such that in a first landed position the micromirror contacts the first and second spring tip and in a second landed position the micromirror contacts the first and third spring tip.

2. The DMD of claim 1 , wherein the first landed position and the second landed position are 90° apart.

3. The DMD of claim 2 , wherein the cantilever beam is configured to tilt on two axes of translation including a pitch and a roll.

4. The DMD of claim 3 , further comprising a bias line extending along adjacent third and fourth sides of the pixel and extending diagonally across the pixel between the first and second electrodes to a location of the first spring tip.

5. The DMD of claim 4 , wherein the first electrode includes a first raised portion disposed inwardly of the first side and the second electrode includes a second raised portion disposed inwardly of the second side.

6. A digital micromirror device (DMD) having an array of micromirror pixels, each pixel comprising: a right electrode located on a first side of the pixel; a left electrode located on a second side of the pixel, wherein the second side is adjacent the first side; a bias line extending along adjacent third and fourth sides of the pixel and extending diagonally across the pixel between the right and left electrodes; a hinge located over the bias line, the hinge having a right spring tip, a left spring tip, and a center spring tip, the hinge having a hinge bulk section and a cantilever beam section that extends diagonally from the hinge bulk section; a micromirror supported on the hinge, the hinge and micromirror configured to tilt the micromirror on two axes of translation including a pitch translation and a roll translation.

7. The DMD of claim 6 , wherein the micromirror is configured to have a first landed position contacting the right spring tip and center spring tip and a second landed position contacting the left spring tip and the center spring tip.

8. A method of operating a digital micromirror device (DMD) having an array of micromirror pixels comprising: placing a micromirror of at least one pixel in a first landed position using a pitch translation and a roll translation such that the micromirror contacts a first spring tip and a second spring tip; and moving the micromirror of the at least one pixel in a second landed position using only the roll translation such that the micromirror rolls from the first spring tip to a third spring tip while maintaining contact with the second spring tip.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the micromirror is tilted towards a first electrode on a first side of the pixel in the first landed position and the micromirror is tilted towards a second electrode on a second side of the pixel in the second landed position, wherein the first side and the second side are adjacent sides of the pixel.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first landed position and the second landed position are 90° apart.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising the steps of: directing an incoming light toward the at least one pixel from a first side of the pixel such that an outgoing light is directed off a second side of the pixel, the second side being 90° from the first side.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein a diffraction lobe of the first landed position does not overlap a projection aperture.